Community turns out to mourn Alicia Rasin
God chose Alicia Rasin to serve the city’s poor, forgotten and downtrodden. That was the message the Rev. Leonidas Young II passionately delivered to hundreds of people who attended the funeral service Saturday for Ms. Rasin at Saint Paul’s Baptist …
‘Ambassador of Compassion’ dies at 62
Even in the final few days before she succumbed to heart failure, Alicia C. Rasin found the time and energy to assist others in need.
Petersburg to host memorial for hometown basketball legend Moses Malone
Petersburg is planning a tribute service for its most celebrated hometown sports hero, the late basketball great Moses Malone. The memorial program will be 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Petersburg High School’s gymnasium, 3101 Johnson Road. Mr. Malone, 60, …
Gilbert L. Carter succumbs at 70
NFL Hall of Famer Willie Lanier recalls Gilbert Lino Carter as “a wonderful human being.” Robert Rooks says Mr. Carter was “a fun-loving guy, who also was serious, … someone dedicated to community service.” The three men were childhood friends …
Robert Moore, former VUU coach, dies
Former Virginia Union University basketball Coach Robert D. Moore died Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, at his home in Charlotte, N.C.
‘A great oak has fallen’
Hundreds of mourners gathered last Saturday to celebrate the life of Dr. Allix B. James, president emeritus of Virginia Union University, who died Sept. 26 at age 92.
Hilda Y. Warden, 97, one of first black graduate students at RPI School of Social Work
Hilda Yates Warden had an unquenchable passion for helping the less fortunate. “Her greatest achievement was guiding people in the right direction,” said her son, George Warden Jr.
Rev. Jesse Jackson’s mother dies at 92
Helen Burns Jackson, mother of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, has died. She was 92.
Amelia Boynton Robinson, civil rights activist, dies at 104
Free Press staff, wire reports MONTGOMERY, Ala. Amelia Boynton Robinson helped change America. The first African-American woman to run for Congress served on the front lines during the Civil Rights Movement. Almost beaten to death in a march for voting …
Kyle Jean-Baptiste, 21, rising Broadway star
Kyle Jean-Baptiste appeared to be headed to acting stardom. This summer, the talented 21-year-old became the first African-American and the youngest performer to play Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” on Broadway.
NBA’s ‘Chocolate Thunder’ Darryl Dawkins dies at 58
Darryl Dawkins was a mountain of a man with a persona to match. To the delight of fans and the media, he shattered backboards, gave poetic names to his power dunks, sparked the invention of the breakaway rim and made …
Promoter David ‘Big Daddy’ Cooper, 81, first to bring Jackson 5 to Richmond
David Junior “Big Daddy” Cooper had multiple careers in Richmond — from concert promoter to private investigator to truck driver and concrete layer. His multifaceted life is being remembered following his death Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, at a Richmond hospital. …
Louis Stokes, 90, Ohio’s first black congressman
Louis Stokes served 15 consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives during which he investigated the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Loss of a legend
Through the relentless struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, Julian Bond always kept his sense of humor. His steady demeanor helped him persist despite the inevitable difficulties involved, his wife recalled. Mr. Bond “never took his eyes off the prize …
Rogers C. Wright, 98, founder of the Wright Family Singers
Rogers C. Wright loved to sing, play the guitar and harmonica and perform in front of audiences. That’s why he and his singing wife, Alcie Taylor, formed the Jubilee Duet gospel group after they were married in 1941. As the …
